Just before spring break we were doing a unit on like terms and polynomials in Scimatics. We were introduced to the unit with an activity of storing cans and bottles by there similarities. We learned more about polynomials and like terms as we went on in the unit, through work sheets and other activities. One of these activities was I brought some of my LEGO and we all built something and then we had to make a polynomial out of the price of what we had built.
For the main project for this unit it was completely up to us for what to do. So my partner Anika and I decided to turn the cost of parts for an engine into a polynomial. To do this we first picked an engine we chose a 2JZ GTE just because it’s a very common engine and there’s lots of information on it. To create the polynomial we tried to find the price for as many parts as we could. This was the final product: here is our slideshow presentation and model:
For this blog post we also had to reflect on how we improved at four curricular competency’s:
- Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms:think we definitely did this by 1: using a visual object to show the mathematical concept and by 2: making a physical model to enforce that.
- Visualize to explore mathematical concepts: we did this by using different graphs and charts to show our thinking and the polynomial in different easier ways.
- Connect mathematical concepts to each other and to other areas and personal interests: this competency applies be Anika and I both have a passion for cars.
- Use mathematical arguments to support personal choices: I think we learned how to do this a it could be applied to real like to support your discussion to buy something in this case and engine or parts for an engine
we also did a unit start/unit end mind map the black text is the unit start and the red is the unit end:
